Owen As His Own Mother example essay topic

For some people, faith comes easily as their ways and beliefs are accepted by the people at large. These people can go about with their faith worrilessly. Others have to pay a price on account of their faith to God or whatever such thing that their belief may be. Those are people often must suffer by body, heart, or mind for what they believe in.

In the book, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Owen had to pay a large price for his belief that he was God's instrument: his innocence, his best friend's mother, his ignorance, and, in the end, his life. One of the blessings of childhood is the carefree way of life that a child can live in for those many years before they are forced to see the truths of the world and themselves. Owen's innocence was robbed from him when he was only ten years old. His parents revealed to him a strange truth: Owen had been a virgin birth. Mr. and Mrs. Meany had not conceived Owen by way of sex. Instead he had merely been conceived by mad Mrs. Meany with no aid of sexual intercourse.

This knowledge set Owen yet further apart from his friends than his diminutive stature and strange voice. Knowing this information lead him further into the belief that he was God's instrument and had a certain purpose to fulfill in this world. Some mothers can't give their children the love that they so need. Thus, another mother can come forward and give the child that care it so richly deserves.

This was the case for Tabitha Wheelwright as she came to care for Owen as his own mother never did. She was the only true mother that Owen ever knew as well as the mother of his best friend, Johnny. Yet, her life was to be a part of the price of Owen's faith as he killed her with a baseball in a Little League game. This event further showed Owen that he was indeed God's instrument as he had interrupted the true angel of death earlier. Many people may wish that they knew their future, allowing them to know just what paths to tread to reach happiness. Unbeknownst to them, the knowledge of the future can be a harsh burden for one to bear.

Owen had to carry that burden of knowing his future and that of his loved ones. He knew of his shocking death and the hole that would be left in the hearts of Johnny and Hester by his departure. Yet, he knew that he was God's instrument and, thus, had a task to fulfill as was in occurrence to his faith in God. Sometimes, one of the greatest sacrifices one can make is giving their own life to a cause or belief. That is what Owen did as he gave his life to fulfill his destiny and God's wishes. He believed he was God's instrument, that he was to save those poor Vietnamese refugee children.

Thus, he did as was ordered to him by God, giving his own life to save all of theirs. Owen gave his place in the world of the living so that those youngsters could keep theirs a while longer. Owen sacrificed a great deal to his faith in God and his belief that he was God's instrument. He gave up his childhood innocence when he accepted his virgin birth.

The life of his "mother" Tabby Wheelwright was forfeited as he was forced to take the place of the Angel of Death. Ignorance of the future was taken for he knew and accepted his future, and did what he could to make the futures of his loved ones easier. His life was finally given to his faith in God and His plan for Owen. A plan was made by God and fulfilled by Owen Meany as he accepted his destiny and paid the necessary price for his undying belief in God.